Seasons for Growth is based on the belief that change, loss and grief are a normal
and valuable part of life. Children, adolescents and adults need the opportunity
to examine how issues such as death, separation and divorce have impacted on their
lives.

Seasons for Growth provides the opportunity for each participant to integrate, at
his/her developmental level, the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand
and cope with change, loss and grief. This takes place in an atmosphere of like
to like peer support.

Seasons for Growth

Supports young people to understand and manage issues they experience because of
the loss of a parent or significant other through death, separation or divorce

Assist young people to understand that the reactions associated with losses are normal

Educates about the grief process

Develops skills for coping, problem solving and decision making

Builds a peer support network

Helps restore self-confidence and self-esteem

Seasons for Growth relies on research, activities, strategies and techniques from
an educational and cognitive behavioural framework. This approach to learning encourages
young people not only to value who they are and the particular “story” they have,
but also to modify where necessary their thinking, attitudes, beliefs and constructs
about life and to ‘take charge’ of their behaviours. The program emphasises the
important role of thinking, questioning, deciding and doing.

What Grief Theory is the programme based on?

Seasons is built around the grief theory related to the work of J. Williams Worden.
He conceptualises grief work into ‘tasks’ that demand something active of the grieving
person. The tasks are as follows:

To accept the reality of the loss

To work through the pain of grief

To adjust to an environment in which the significant person is no longer present

To emotionally relocate the person and move on with life

In adapting Worden’s work to an educational context, the participants in Seasons:

Acknowledge the reality of the loss in their lives

Learn about the possible reactions to change and loss and how each has experiences
these

Develop skills to assist in managing grief reactions

Explore ways of letting go and moving forward

Why is the programme called Seasons for Growth?

The Seasons of the year provide a rich symbolic framework in which to explore issues
of change and loss. With the differences in Seasons for Growth comes the recognition
that like our loss and grief:

No Season lasts forever

Each Season is good, unique and important for our growth

Individuals are affected differently by the Seasons, but our attitude is important

We have to find ways to adjust to differences in each season

Each season has its own story. There are easy and difficult days

Seasons have their own unpredictability and that is normal

Seasonal change is often silent, gradual and unseen

How is the program structured?

Seasons for Growth is a whole school program, catering for all ages 6-18

The program consists of five levels:

Level 1 (ages 6-8) – 40 minute session

Level 2 (ages 9-10) – 40 minute session

Level 3 (ages 11-12) – 45 minute session

Level 4 (ages 13-15) – 50 minute session

Level 5 (ages 16-18) – 50 minute session

Each level of Seasons for Growth consists of:

8 formal sessions

1 Celebration session

2 Reconnector sessions

Every Companion is trained by a Seasons for Growth registered Trainer because the
role of Companion is critical to the success of the programme.

All the information in the above text has been taken out of the Seasons for Growth
Companion manual written by Anne P Graham PhD (2008 – 3rd edition).